Where did I go wrong with photoshop...

[Former_Member]

...in these photos? I am specifically talking about pics number 2 and 4. I am in a trial period of photoshop and will only buy it if it works for me.

I was trying to simply remove the background altogether but look how rough the edges are. How do people get their items to 'float' on a white background without it looking like a child cut it out? Thanks.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/96880521/jersey-knit-scarfwrapjersey-slub-knit?ref=v1_other_2

[HausofAriella]

I find it difficult to do that well in Photoshop, so I use fotofuze.com. You might want to give it a try. It's free and much easier than Photoshopping everything.

[Former_Member]

when you use the magic wand tool you need to turn the tolerance up so it selects all of the white.

[Former_Member]

Ugh, I can never achieve a steady enough hand to do that kind of thing. I always fold or drape my fabric items in my light box so I have a white ground without Photoshopping. Like your first photo, which I like best anyway.

[Former_Member]

Try playing with the exposure - if you increase exposure it will lighten the backgroudn and then increase the gamma it will keep the contrast in your object.

Photoshop is amazing but it takes time and practise to learn it. Maybe try fotofuze.com - simple and easy!

[Former_Member]

What Sumit said, or you can also select it by hand using the lasso -tool. You might still need to do some cleaning around the edges especially if your photo has small resolution.

I use Gimp, it's free and it's similar to Photoshop, but I find Photoshop more versatile. Too bad it's so expensive. You can do a lot with Gimp too and there are some great tutorials out there to find the right features.

[ThePlaidPineconeCo]

I use picnik.com and have found that the 'highlight' option under 'Exposure' is my best friend. It brightens the white in the photo instantly.

[Former_Member]

A good alternative is picnik.com (although it closes on 19th of April) Usually I use Exposure, play with highlights and shadows and it does all the work for me.

[Former_Member]

You could try use fotofuze thats what i use and its really simple to do :)

[LittleBitsOFaith]

I use photoscape, free download....easy to work with, simple adjustments. Good luck!! Love your shop!

[RunkPockDesigns]

Instead of using those tools, try going to "select" on the top menu and using "color range" you might be able to pick out either the white area OR select your scarf and all the color portion then inverse the selection and delete your background. You also might want to add a slight shadow underneath your scarves once cut out so they don't look like they are just floating in nothing, it will give the illusion of a stark white background.

[WireHearts]

It is very difficult to get good photographs on a pure white background. Try using a gradient background. Use Photoshop to create a high resolution background that ranges from a dark grey to completely white. From my experience it is best to have it printed by the pro's. Home printers doesn't always blend the colors smoothly and leave lines across the page.
Hope this tip helps. Good luck!

[ThekawaiiOD]

haha right click feather!!!

[Former_Member]

thanks so much you guys!

[Former_Member]

What Amber said.

Photoshop can be tricky. If it was me I'd create a clipping path around it, but that would be a major PITA for Etsy photos because there's so many to do.

Can I ask why you want a hanging scarf to float in your photos? IMO it looks odd because it's hanging there without being attached to a body.

[Former_Member]

Use the 'background eraser' tool - its in the eraser dropdown in the toolbox. make your circle something like 50px and set the tolerance pretty low - I have mine set at just 3%. Slowly (and I mean slowly) drag the crosshair on the 'waste' (= background) side and it'll turn its path into transparency as it goes. Take out the rest with the plain eraser tool. Then, duplicate your later and paint it it all white and then send it to the back. Hey presto!

Oh, and save it as a JPG, not a GIF....

[Former_Member]

lol, i hear ya judy! maybe i didn't provide the best example of what i meant. i actually think you're right and i probably will no longer photograph the scarf that way. but it would work for some of my other items, especially my purses and it's driving me NUTS that i can't figure it out.
is it weird to convo another shop whose photos i like and ask them what they do?

[Former_Member]

AAAH!!!! along came emma! thanks, i'll try that tonight as well as the other awesome suggestions. you have the photos i'm talking about.

[TinTeddy]

Buying Photoshop just to do basic photo editing is a seriously expensive idea.

You can get great photo editers that will do what you want for Etsy purposes (and easier) for far, far less - and even free.

People who use Photoshop tend to have lots of uses for it, to justify its cost.

[ArtistMonicaBruenjes]

I agree with Rozena from RunkPockDesigns, going to SELECT- COLOR RANGE is a quick way to do it in Photoshop.